Forever
by HPtwilightfanatic
Summary: It's the night of October 30. James and Lily are thinking of the future, with their son, their friends, and each other. A future where the war is over, and there's no more hiding in Godric's Hollow. In remembrance of Lily and James Potter. Lyrics from song by Matt Hires.


_I wish that we could lay right here and never think about our fears forever…_

Collapsing on the bed, Lily let out a groan as she kicked her jeans off of her legs. It was tough work raising a baby. She didn't even bother with her sweater, just snuggled up under the sheets, curling into her husband.

She had assumed James had been asleep, as his breath was even, and his eyes were closed, but this was obviously not the case when he spoke, slipping his arms around her waist.

"It's about time you joined me," the smile in his voice made Lily grin to herself as she tangled her legs with his.

"It's not my fault. It's Harry's. And you could have helped."

"We take turns putting him to sleep, and I did it last night. I recall you were already knocked out on the couch listening to the news when I came back out. I had to carry you to bed. So don't go pointing fingers, you little bugger!"

Both of the giggled and hooted, as if they were the children, and not the parents. They brought hands up to mute their laugher, for their son was a famously light sleeper. He was already so difficult to put to bed; James and Lily took turns because he would get too excited if both of them were in his room. Bedtime stories didn't help either. He just kept pleading for more. It could be a long process each night, and they didn't really feel like doing it twice every night, which they had had to do once because of their pesky laughing fits.

When the pair finally settled down, (with a few giggles and hiccups still sounding now and then), Lily sighed, letting her head fall onto her husband's chest, listening to his steady breath and the heartbeat that still sped out of control when she was near. She could relate, as her own heart was quite enthusiastic.

"I'm glad I fell asleep to the news yesterday," she commented, fisting a hand in the sheets and tugging it more snugly around both of them. "Nothing was very good."

"It never is," James admitted. She could imagine his face; eyes focused on the ceiling and jaw muscles tightened.

With the war raging all around them in their little cottage in Godric's Hollow, it was hard to be optimistic. Of course Harry let a little sun shine on their situation, but at the end of the day, literally, the war was still real.

But tonight, Lily didn't really want to focus on that. Lying here, with James, and her heart singing away in her chest, she wanted to pretend a little bubble might grow around them, and shield out the war for one night.

"So what do you want to do for Halloween tomorrow?"

James hummed in response, possibly still a little distracted about their previous thoughts. He ran his hands all along her arms, fingertips sneaking under the cloth of her sweater. Technically, his sweater.

"We should dress up," Lily grinned up at him, eyes shining in the dim light of their bedroom.

"We won't get any trick or treaters!"

"So? We can still dress up for fun. Besides, Harry would get a kick out of it!"

"That's true. What do you think you'll wear?"

"Oh no you don't, Mr. Potter. That's going to be a surprise you'll have to wait for."

"Don't tell me you'll be wearing your birthday suit," James moaned deep in his chest, pressing his lips against her ear.

"You wish," she returned his kiss with a little nip on his bottom lip, making his fingers press harder into her hips. "Though maybe we can wear couple costumes of birthday suits tomorrow night," James groaned again, chuckling as he tickled her.

"Yeah, we might need something a little bit more appropriate for Harry."

"Just maybe."

And they were both sent laughing again. Mention of "birthday suits" and "I'll wear mine if you wear yours" was somewhere amid all of the bouts of laughter.

A small noise came from Harry's room across the hall, and both of them went silent like the flick of a wand. They lie frozen, waiting for another sign of Harry's alertness. He must have been shifting in his sleep, as no other sound came from the baby monitor that Lily had insisted on buying.

"That was a close one," James breathed.

"You said it. I swear he's got the ears of a bat. Does he get that from you?"

"No, he probably got him from my mum. That woman could hear my damn thoughts."

Lily snorted, nuzzling even further against him.

"You know something?"

"I know a lot of things. Which one would like to hear?"

Nudging him with her elbow, she rolled her eyes with a smile. "You're a git."

"I was aware of that, yes. You remind me of this almost daily."

Stifling laughter again, she kicked him in the shins, getting a groan from him, and he tickled her again for revenge.

"Alright, alright. What?" he conceded.

"I actually kind of like this house."

His finger rubbed a circle over and over her hip bone, listening intently now.

"I know that we're sort of stuck here and all, but I like it."

"It's not bad," James admitted. "Especially with all of the work we put into Harry's room. And the kitchen. It would be a shame to leave after all of that."

"Do you think you'd like it better…"

"You still want to live here? After the war?"

It was uncanny how their thoughts could follow the same track.

"That's what I'm saying. It's a nice place, good neighborhood. And I like the yard. We may seem cooped up now, but when the war isn't here…we could invite everyone over. Then it would actually feel like home."

He seemed to consider this for a while, his thumb still making its way round and round, traveling the same path on her skin.

"You've got a point. We could host Christmas here or something," Lily couldn't help the smile that grew on her lips. "We'll just have to see when that time comes."

_When that time comes. _When the war would be over. Lily was at the edge of relief just thinking about it.

"What do you think you'll do when we can finally leave?"

"Got to Hogsmeade-" James answered without hesitation.

"-and get a butterbeer! That's what I was thinking!"

"Well then, would you mind joining me on a date to Hogsmeade when this bloody war is over, Evans?"

"I would love to, but only if you call me by the proper name."

"Oh, excuse me. _Potter,"_ he grinned against her hair.

"You're excused, Potter."

"You're a little shit, you know that?"

"I know a lot of things," Lily mimicked James, making them break into a fit of giggles again.

Wrapping her fingers into his hair while still shaking with laughter, she took his mouth with hers. The laughing died out pretty quick as James responded with his own enthusiasm, jumping right into the deep end with her. He flipped the both of them so she was sandwiched between the mattress and himself.

"Now who's the little shit?" she whispered into the skin of his neck.

"I won't deny it. Would you care to try on our costumes for tomorrow night? See how they look?"

Having to press her mouth into the juncture where his neck met his shoulder, she tried to control her laughter once again. If there was much more of this tom-foolery, Harry would be awake and wailing in a tick.

"I hate you!" she said between silent giggles.

"I love you too."

Those damned teeth of his bit at her ear, and her fingers clutched just a little tighter in his unruly hair. Lily still marveled just at _him_. They'd been together for nearly five years now, and known each other for even longer. And he could still make tingles erupt all over her skin and her heart nearly escape the confines of her ribcage.

"I'm serious about that Hogsmeade date, Mrs. Potter."

In the moonlight coming through the window on the left wall, his hazel eyes sparkled at her.

"I expected nothing less," a small red tinge came to her cheeks under the intensity of his gaze. "But it better be an improvement from that first one."

It was James' turn to bury his head in her neck and try to stop his laughter.

"That was a fantastic date and you know it!"

"Yeah, my favorite part was having to walk back to the castle covered in butterbeer."

"It was memorable, wasn't it?"

"Memorable is not the same as fantastic, Potter."

His nimble fingers snuck down to her waist and he pinched her skin, causing her to squirm beneath him. James rolled to his side, bringing Lily closer in his embrace. His wife slowly ran her hands down from his hair, dragging them along his skin until they came to rest on the sides of his neck. His eyes closed and he let out the smallest of moans sounded from his lips.

"I can't believe it's already Halloween tomorrow."

"Yeah. Time used to go by so slow at this place, but now that we have Harry-"

"I know. It's already his second Halloween. That little bugger needs to stop growing so fast."

"We all do."

"I can just keep wowing you with my costumes as we get older though."

"You mean your birthday suit?"

Yet again, more muffled laughter filled the room. Because when silence is of the utmost importance, it is always the hardest to keep quiet.

"That costume too, yes," with how close their faces were, Lily could have sworn she felt his cheeks warm.

"Then I look forward to all future Halloweens with you."

They might have though it impossible, but they managed to pull each other even closer.

"I look forward to all future days with you."

"You just have to one up me, don't you?" she teased with a grin.

"No, it's the truth. I just love you, that's all," he said it so simply, as if those words weren't three of the most important words she'd ever heard.

"That's all?" she laughed again, kissing him lightly. "Well, I just love you too."

_Forget about tomorrow's light, I only want to hold tonight forever_


End file.
